Childfree and childless couples have families, too

Childfree and childless couples have familes even though we don't have kids or pets.

Our families include our parents who need our care and love as we all age. It's a great joy to see parents who live far away, and they certainly enjoy our vists, calls, letters and e-mails.

And at some point, we may be needed to manage assets, find and manage care givers and even move a parent to our communities or homes.

Managing parents assets can range from taking over investment portfolios, accepting power of attorney to oversee an investment management company, taking control of a business or farm and taking responsiblity for maintaining a parent's home. Some children may pay their parents' rent and provide other financial help.

Finding caregivers is always a challenge, whether local or long distant. And once you find them, they fail to perform, need supervision and turnover, requiring replacement.

Moving a parent to your home can make your life easier or harder, depending on you, your parent and your relationship with your parent.

And then there are your relationships with your siblings and in laws. For some, these relationships can be relatively easy because the relatives live in other parts of the country or world.

For others, these relationshisps can be distant or close, regardless of where the relatives live.

Again, it depends on you and your relatives.

Some families are very close and spend much of their spare time together. Others don't share interests and spend llittle time together.

Close or distant, childless and childfree couples still have families that they enjoy, cherish, or not.

While our family relationships are different from those of people who have kids, they still involve family, and for most, thinking about and being with family is special.